Microsoft (MSFT.O) is collaborating with the French government to create a digital twin of Paris' iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral, the country's most visited landmark, the company's president Brad Smith announced on Monday.
The 862-year-old Gothic cathedral, which reopened in December following five years of restoration after a major fire in 2019, will now be digitally replicated to preserve its architectural details and offer an immersive virtual experience for remote visitors, Microsoft said.
Notre-Dame, immortalised in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, has become a symbol of French heritage, with its hunchbacked bell-ringer Quasimodo featured in films, musicals, and animated adaptations.
Microsoft previously partnered with French heritage digitalisation firm Iconem to create a digital version of St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Reflecting on that experience, Smith told Reuters, “We learned that a digital twin helps with long-term maintenance by capturing a precise record of every centimetre of a structure.”
He added, “Creating a digital twin today will provide a priceless record that I believe will still be in use a century from now.”
Since 2019, Microsoft has undertaken similar digital preservation projects, including Ancient Olympia in Greece, Mont Saint-Michel in France, and commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy.
Russia and Ukraine are reportedly close to agreeing on a new round of peace talks in Türkiye this week, though the Kremlin stated that the two sides ...
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump this week, aiming to secure a more favorable trade deal as Manila...
Tensions are rising as the EU considers tougher trade retaliation against the U.S., following a breakdown in negotiations and looming tariffs....
China confirmed on Monday that it will host a high-level summit with the European Union in Beijing this week to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations....
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan expressed that both Germany and the UK have shown a positive attitude towards the sale of Eurofighter jets to Türki...
Russia and Ukraine are reportedly close to agreeing on a new round of peace talks in Türkiye this week, though the Kremlin stated that the two sides remain "diametrically opposed" in their positions on how to end the war.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump this week, aiming to secure a more favorable trade deal as Manila approaches a critical deadline on 1 August.
Tensions are rising as the EU considers tougher trade retaliation against the U.S., following a breakdown in negotiations and looming tariffs.
China confirmed on Monday that it will host a high-level summit with the European Union in Beijing this week to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. The summit aims to address ongoing trade disputes amid global trade uncertainties.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
Russia and Ukraine are reportedly close to agreeing on a new round of peace talks in Türkiye this week, though the Kremlin stated that the two sides remain "diametrically opposed" in their positions on how to end the war.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump this week, aiming to secure a more favorable trade deal as Manila approaches a critical deadline on 1 August.
Tensions are rising as the EU considers tougher trade retaliation against the U.S., following a breakdown in negotiations and looming tariffs.
China confirmed on Monday that it will host a high-level summit with the European Union in Beijing this week to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. The summit aims to address ongoing trade disputes amid global trade uncertainties.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan expressed that both Germany and the UK have shown a positive attitude towards the sale of Eurofighter jets to Türkiye, and Ankara aims to complete the purchase as quickly as possible.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment